


PULSE

by pocket_junhee (fandom_unnie)



Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band), K-pop, 믹스나인 | MIXNINE (TV)
Genre: Angst, Basically a self indulgent angst fest, Blood, Byeongkwan gets angry a lot, Choose Your Own Adventure, Donghun is an emotional wreck, Gen, Horror, I apologize in advance for this entire fic, Minseok is a cutie, MixNine friendships, ONF is here too, Platonic Relationships, Protective Jaeyoung, Sehyoon tries to be brave, Survival, The world is ending, Zombies, at a very inconvenient time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-06 17:46:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16392224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandom_unnie/pseuds/pocket_junhee
Summary: An interactive horror AU, in which MixNine can always get worse.Survival is not guaranteed.(On temporary hiatus, currently under revision)





	1. Chapter 1

Donghun heaved deep breaths, drinking oxygen into his lungs as the pulsing music came to an abrupt stop and exhausted shouts filled the practice room.

 

"Aigoo!" Hyojin dropped to the floor, pushing his sweat-soaked bangs out of his eyes. "I'm going to die before the broadcast! How are humans supposed to do this choreography?"

 

"I can't feel my legs," whined Byeongkwan, hanging dramatically off of Sehyoon who swayed rather precariously under his weight.

 

"Consider yourself lucky," groaned Jinyoung, lowering himself to the floor beside Hyojin. "Can we take a break? I don't think I can do this again for a while."

 

The boys had been up since dawn, learning and practicing their song  _ "What?!" _ for MixNine's final live stage, and it had turned out to be more taxing than they'd anticipated. It was now almost noon, and Donghun was sure if he had to go through the choreo one more time he would collapse.

 

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he turned his eyes tentatively to Minseok, who was the leader of their team despite also being the youngest. Unsurprisingly, the small brown-haired boy looked just as tired as his hyungs, half of whom were already sprawled out in undignified heaps on the floor.

 

"Alright," he conceded.

 

Byeongkwan gave a whoop of victory and dashed for the door, followed by Jinyoung whose energy had miraculously returned.

 

"But be back here in half an hour!" squeaked Minseok after them.

 

The tall white doors opened just before the boys reached them, and Lee Byounggon was almost trampled by his escaping teammates.

 

"Woah, where are you going?"

 

"To take a twenty-nine minute nap!" called Byeongkwan over his shoulder as he disappeared through the door and down the hall.

 

Byounggon glanced after them with a raised eyebrow before stepping into the practice room. His shiny black hair was carefully styled, a dramatic contrast from the rest of the team, whose bangs were all sticking to their foreheads.

 

"What did I miss?" Byounggon's deep voice and comfortable slurred way of speaking were unmistakably those of a rapper.

 

"You got here just in time,” laughed Donghun, “We're taking a break.” He propped his hands in his knees and squinting up at the other boy. "How was lunch with your parents?"

 

"Good!" Byounggon beamed. "It was nice to see them, I'm lucky they were in town. Sorry I missed practice, though."

 

"Don't be." Donghun stood up straight and patted Byounggon's arm on his way to the cooler. “Family's always more important. And besides, I can run through the chorus with you if you want. Just let me catch my breath first."

 

Byounggon grinned. "Ayyy, Hyung, you're the best!"

 

Donghun shot him him smile and grabbed a water bottle, downing it in a few gulps. Glancing around the room, he noticed it was now empty except for themselves and Sungho, a quiet sandy-haired boy who had settled himself in a corner with a set of headphones and a notebook.

 

It always surprised Donghun how intensely familiar the people on this show had become to him over the past five months.

 

At first it had been hard to believe that Byounggon, with his cool image and rough voice, was over five years Donghun's junior. But it hadn't taken long to realize he wasn't nearly as intimidating as he looked. The way his eyes turned into crescent moons when he smiled and his dimple peeked out from his right cheek, the way his voice cracked every time he laughed, and the way he never seemed to be without his favorite grey hoodie. They would all be things that Donghun missed when the show was over.

 

They'd been in this building for what felt like ages, long nights and long days blending together so much that they hardly ever knew when the sun was up. Their world consisted only of floor-to-ceiling mirrors, the glossy black floor of the practice room, and the luxury beds they hardly ever saw. For someone who was used to singing and dancing in a cramped basement, this place was like a dream, even despite their breakneck schedule.

 

"Where did you leave off?" he asked, turning to Byounggon.

 

"I think it was here," the younger boy demonstrated a move. "Right before Sehyoon-hyung's part."

 

"Okay, then we'll start… with… hey, Byounggon? Did you hurt your hand? You're bleeding."

 

"I am?" He turned his hand over to inspect it, revealing a deep red scratch between his thumb and forefinger. "That's weird, I don't feel anything."

 

"You don't know how you got it?"

 

"No, I don't think- Oh, wait, yeah! Some guy nearly flattened me out in the lobby! I don't know where he was going, but he sure was in a hurry to get there. I must've gotten cut when he ran into me."

 

Donghun leaned closer to inspect the small wound. "Does it hurt now? Maybe you should clean up and then come back."

 

"No don't worry about it, I don't feel a thing. Anyway, you were showing me the chorus?"

 

Donghun's gaze lingered suspiciously for a moment longer on Byounggon's hand. "Yeah, yeah. Are you sure you don't need to bandage it or anything?"

 

"Hyung, I'm fine," the boy laughed. "It's not deep, the blood's already dry."

 

Donghun shrugged, turning to face the mirror and calling back the choreography to the beginning of the chorus.

 

The two of them worked through the song until the rest of their team came back nearly an hour later, and the day progressed much like any other. Long, hard practice, punctuated only by occasional breaks for food and other necessities.

 

~'~

 

"And, two, three, four," Byeongkwan's voice rose over the pounding music, repeating the same count over and over as the nine boys moved in unison, burning out the last of their energy before they retired for the night.

 

Donghun didn't realize anything had happened until the music stopped. He glanced around for the source of the early halt, eyes locking instantly on Byounggon who looked as if he had collided with Jinyoung and Sehyoon and was now holding on to the two as if he was in danger of falling over.

 

"Woah, are you okay?" Hyojin was already running to his teammates, and Donghun followed him.

 

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Byounggon looked ragged, out of breath. "I'm sorry, I just tripped."

 

"Are you sure? Should we stop for a while?"

 

"No! Keep going, I'm fine, I promise." He straightened up, but Donghun still thought he looked unstable, the dark circles under his eyes even more pronounced than usual.

 

"Do you want to sit out?" Jinyoung motioned to the back of the room.

 

"No, no, just play it. I'm good. I can go again."

 

"Alright."

 

Byeongkwan went to re-start the song.

 

While everyone shuffled back to their positions, Donghun kept an eye on Byounggon. As the oldest member on the team he couldn't help but feel responsible.

 

A moment later the music was pounding once again, but they only made it halfway through before Byounggon lost his footing. This time, it was Donghun who caught him before he crashed to the floor.

 

The music stopped.

 

Worried faces flooded around them, peering down in concern as Donghun lowered the boy to the ground. Byounggon's body was trembling. He tried to resist, tried to stand up again, but Donghun held him firmly down.

 

"What happened?"

 

"What's wrong?"

 

"Is he hurt?"

 

Byounggon's eyes were bleary, his face drained of color. "No, please, start again, I'm fine…"

 

"You're NOT fine," snapped Donghun, "You're burning up!" Even through the boy's striped shirt Donghun could feel the fever radiating from his body.

 

Byounggon's black hair clung to his forehead, his eyes wandering listlessly around the room as if he hardly noticed the crowd of boys standing around him. Even his breathing sounded hoarse. Something was definitely wrong.

 

"Someone get a manager," commanded Donghun, the authority in his voice causing Hyojin to jump into action immediately.

 

It was only then that Donghun looked down, noticed the cut on Byounggon's hand. The skin around the cut was an angry red color now, veins snaking out around the wound like tiny purple ropes bulging against his skin.

 

_ Blood poisoning, _ thought Donghun. That made sense, didn't it. Or did it? Were you supposed to have a fever when you had blood poisoning?

 

Before he could think much harder, Hyojin returned with a manager.

 

"That was fast," said Donghun gratefully.

 

"I was just outside," said the man, crouching down beside Donghun and Byounggon. "What seems to be the problem?"

 

"He's sick, it might be blood poisoning. I don't know, he was fine this morning."

 

The manager felt Byounggon's forehead, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "When did this start?"

 

"I… don't know, we didn't notice until he almost collapsed." Donghun mentally cursed himself for not paying better attention.

 

The manager pulled out his phone, and Donghun saw him dial an emergency number. "An ambulance will be here in a few minutes," he reported as soon as the call ended. "You boys had better go back to your dorms."

 

"I'm… fine…" Byounggon was still mumbling, his head resting heavily on Donghun's chest.

 

Donghun bit his lip, holding Byounggon protectively and silently refusing to move until he felt Sehyoon's hand on his shoulder.

 

"We should go," Byeongkwan said.

 

Against his will, Donghun turned Byounggon over to the manager and stood up, following the rest of his team out of the practice room with several glances back at the younger boy.

 

The others were talking, but Donghun didn't say anything.

 

"Do you think it's a bug or something?"

 

"He probably over-exerted himself."

 

"What are we going to do about the performance?"

 

Even when Donghun turned in to his own room with Sehyoon and Byeongkwan, none of them spoke.

 

~'~

 

Unfortunately, they got no word on Byounggon's condition until afternoon on the next day, and then only because Donghun had managed to flag down a staff member.

 

"It was an allergic reaction," was all they had said. "He'll need to be in the hospital for a while."

 

"How long? An allergic reaction to what?"

 

But they hadn't seemed able to answer those questions. Not that day, not the next day. And at last, the team decided they would have to cover his parts, re-distribute the lines and change the dance formations to suit eight members. They had no choice. The broadcast was only a week away, and they were still one member short.

 

"I don't like it," said Donghun, flopping onto his bed after another solemn day of practice. "They haven't even made an official statement about his being in the hospital."

 

"Really?" Byeongkwan looked up from his notebook perched on the foot of the bed. "I thought they would have said something by now."

 

"Nope." Donghun flashed the screen of his phone in Byeongkwan's direction, his search results on Naver showed nothing about Byounggon's hospitalization or absence from the show. "There are rumors spreading, though. His fans are worried."

 

"You shouldn't be reading things like that."

 

Donghun sighed and turned the screen off, rolling over onto his back. "They're right, though. It's strange."

 

"Maybe the company's waiting until they know what the problem is," suggested Sehyoon who was curled up on the other bed, his cheeks still rosy from showering.

 

"That's another thing, though. What is the problem? I don't think they're telling us everything they know."

 

"Why would they keep something from us?" asked Sehyoon. "We're his team."

 

"I don't know. I just have a bad feeling about all of this. Something's...off. I don't like it."

 

"None of us do."

 

"No, I mean, it just feels  _ wrong _ ."

 

Byeongkwan dropped the notebook onto the mattress, leaning with his head in his hands, massaging his temples. "You know what feels wrong? An eight-member formation with nine parts."

 

Donghun glanced over at Byeongkwan’s paper, a mess of circles and lines indicating position changes. "It looks alright to me."

 

"Alright isn't good enough for the final stage."

 

"Come on, you should get some sleep, finish it in the morning."

 

Byeongkwan sighed. "I won't be able to sleep if it's not done."

 

"Well, then, take a walk, wake yourself up a little."

 

Byeongkwan rubbed his eyes, as if by doing so he could wipe away the sleepiness. "You know, I think I'll do that."

 

"I'll come with you," said Sehyoon, sliding out of bed. “I'm not tired anyway.”

 

"Turn the lights off on your way out," said Donghun, rolling onto his side as his members left the room and closed the door quietly behind them.

 

~'~

 

Byeongkwan sometimes forgot, since they spent most of their time in only a small part of it, how big Paradise City hotel really was. But now that he and Sehyoon were walking through the empty halls, it was impossible not to notice.

 

In fact, it was a little spooky at night. White pillars, checkered floors, and vaulted ceilings. Byeongkwan got a childish sort of thrill from wandering around the building. It had a very different vibe when it was quiet and the lamps were turned down. He liked the way their footsteps echoed in the hall, and how hollow the whole place felt when it wasn't buzzing with camera crews and managers. It was the sort of place he would have loved to play as a kid.

 

Sehyoon seemed to be enjoying himself too, though he hadn't said anything. In fact, neither of them had spoken since they left Donghun back in their room.

 

Donghun's words still rang in Byeongkwan's head.  _ I don't think they're telling us everything they know. Something's off. _

 

He had to admit, Donghun had a point. It was incredibly strange behavior, especially for a big company like YG, not to make a statement when their own trainee was sick. That was the kind of thing people made big deals about. Unless there was a reason for keeping it quiet.

 

Byeongkwan didn't realize that Sehyoon had stopped until he ran straight into him.

 

"What are you-"

 

"Shhh," Sehyoon whispered. "I heard something."

 

Byeongkwan stopped and listened. After a second, he realized Sehyoon was right. Someone was talking up ahead, and they were getting closer.

 

For a moment Byeongkwan wanted to hide, but then he realized that was silly. There was no reason they shouldn't be out at this time of night. So instead they just stood there, waiting and listening.

 

The voice grew nearer, and then two figures rounded a corner into view. The first thing Byeongkwan noticed was that they were both girls, and the second thing he noticed was that they weren't heading towards him and Sehyoon, they were walking to the elevators at the other end of the hallway.

 

From the way they were dressed, they must have been staff. One of them was talking, and it was obvious that they had no idea Byeongkwan and Sehyoon were there.

 

"I'm telling you, it's the same thing that happened to that boy! I was there when they took her out to the ambulance, shaking and everything. I think she was unconscious by the time they took her. That's three, counting the manager yesterday."

 

"What manager?" the other woman asked.

 

"Oh you know, the one who was there the first time. I told you I talked to him yesterday morning."

 

"You didn't tell me anything."

 

"Really? He said the boy was crazy, didn't want to go with the medics. Said he scratched him pretty good trying to stay, too."

 

"Oh my gosh, I didn't hear that! How awful."

 

"Yeah, and then he came down with the same thing a day later. Nobody even knows what it is, but I think a lot of people are getting it."

 

"How do you know?"

 

"I told you, I was there when they took Moonhee. The men from the ambulance were talking about it, I don't think it's just here."

 

"Well it  _ is  _ flu season."

 

"I don't know, this is pretty weird. That's three people in three days."

 

The elevator doors opened, and the girls stepped inside, disappearing from view as the doors closed and prevented any more of their conversation from being overheard.

 

Byeongkwan and Sehyoon looked at each other.

 

~'~

 

"Donghun-hyung!"

 

The bedroom door slammed and the lights flashed on, disturbing the only real sleep Donghun had managed to get in days. "What do you  _ want _ ," he whined, burying his face deeper into his pillow.

 

"Hyung, get up, you need to hear this." Byeongkwan's weight bounced down onto the bed, making it impossible for Donghun to ignore him any more.

 

"Hear what?" Donghun groaned, rolling over.

 

Sehyoon was the one who started talking. He explained everything that had happened, what they had seen and what they'd overheard.

 

At the last part, Donghun bolted upright, any hint of sleep gone from his body. "What?"

 

"It's true," said Byeongkwan. "At least, if that girl was right."

 

"And nobody else is saying anything?"

 

"Nobody said anything about that manager leaving yesterday. And it sounded like Moonhee left sometime today. Maybe even tonight."

 

"This is crazy. Moonhee's popular, they'll have to say something tomorrow."

 

"Byounggon is popular too," pointed out Sehyoon. "His rank is higher than mine now."

 

"Not if he doesn't perform at the live show," said Byeongkwan with a significant look. "I think we should tell the other members what we heard."

 

Donghun pursed his lips, suddenly apprehensive. "I don't know…"

 

"What?! Hyung, weren't you just saying that something felt weird about all of this? Even before we told you everything."

 

"Yes, and that's exactly what I'm saying now. I don't think we should spread any more suspicion until we know exactly what's going on. We don't know why they're being so quiet about it. Maybe there's a good reason."

 

"Or maybe there's not! They said Byounggon had an allergic reaction, so how did two other people just  _ happen _ to have the same allergy?"

 

"I agree it's sketchy. But I still think we should wait."

 

Byeongkwan heaved a sigh, looking to Sehyoon. "You're the tie-breaker, what do you think?"

 

Sehyoon's dark eyes flicked between his bandmates, and Donghun could see the boy's mind working behind his eyes.

 

**[AUDIENCE DECISION:]**

~~**Agree with Byeongkwan** ~~

**\-- > Agree with Donghun <\--**

 

"Let's wait a while," said Sehyoon at length. "If we learn anything else, then we tell the others."

 

Donghun nodded, and Byeongkwan chewed on his lip, looking disappointed but unable to say anything.

 

"We're all agreed on this, okay?" Donghun was looking at Byeongkwan.

 

"Yeah, okay. But if we learn  _ anything _ else-"

 

"Then we tell."

 

"Okay."

 

There was a moment of silence, and then Donghun took a deep breath. " _ Now _ can I go to sleep?"

 

Byeongkwan waved his hands dismissively, flopping onto the pillows.

 

"Goodnight," said Sehyoon, flicking the light off.

 

It was a long time, however, before any of them slept. And not nearly long enough until they were woken up again.


	2. Chapter 2

Byeongkwan was awoken by a loud knock on the door, his foggy mind barely registering the glowing red _6:15_ on the clock. Donghun still snored softly beside him, undisturbed by the noise. Byeongkwan envied him.

 

It had only been three hours since he closed his eyes, and it took every fiber of his being not to pretend he hadn't heard anything and go back to sleep. But the knocking came again, and he resolved himself, kicking his legs out of bed and stumbling through the pitch dark to the door.

 

He unlocked the bolt and pulled the door open a crack, peering blearily into the lighted hallway.

 

Minseok stood there, his clothes and hair tousled as if he'd only just crawled out of bed himself.

 

"What is it?" asked Byeongkwan, looking the younger boy up and down.

 

"They told me to get the team together, there's some kind of meeting with the staff."

 

"What?" Byeongkwan was suddenly more awake. "Where, why? Did something happen?"

 

"I don't know," said Minseok. He squinted, rubbing the back of his head and only messing his hair up further. "Just get dressed and come to the cafeteria."

 

"Okay, thanks," said Byeongkwan, shutting the door quickly and turning to stumble blindly across the room again. He fumbled for the light, finally managed to switch it on and earned a groan from Donghun. Sehyoon was already sitting up.

 

"What do you think that's about?"

 

"I don't know," said Byeongkwan, "But I'm not going to waste any time in finding out."

 

Byeongkwan slipped into a clean shirt and relatively clean sweatpants, and ran a hand through his hair while Sehyoon woke Donghun up. The other two took a little longer to get ready, Sehyoon sleepily pulling on shoes while Donghun flattened his hair with a beanie instead of brushing it.

 

Finally, all three of them were heading to the cafeteria.

 

Donghun looked like he was barely awake, still struggling to grasp why he wasn't in bed.

 

Upon arriving in the cafeteria, however, even Donghun was more alert. It wasn't just their team that was gathered here. In fact, it looked like all of the teams had been called to this meeting. Boys and girls filled the tables, all looking just as confused as Byeongkwan felt.

 

"What's going on here?" he asked as soon as they reached their friends.

 

"We don't know yet. The staff are talking in the next room." It was Shim Jaeyoung who answered, his impossibly deep voice standing out over the other chatter in the room. He was sitting with his bandmates Minseok, Hyojin, and Seungjoon, despite the four of them being on different teams.

 

Byeongkwan sat down at their table, and Sehyoon pulled up a chair as well. Donghun settled himself in an empty seat between Hyojin and Hangyeom. All of the boys looked tired, the early wake-up showing all too well on their faces and in their wrinkled clothes, most of which Byeongkwan guessed had been slept in.

 

The girls seemed to be taking a little more care with their appearance, since half of them weren't there yet. But Byeongkwan couldn't help but notice the absence of Choi Moonhee, and the conversation he'd overheard only a few hours ago flooded back into his mind.

 

"Do you think this is about Byounggon?" Minseok leaned in, his quiet voice only meant for Byeongkwan to hear. It was like he was afraid to voice the question too loudly, and Byeongkwan understood why.

 

It was worrying, this much fuss. Something must be wrong, and he had to admit it scared him too. Suddenly he wanted to break his promise, wanted to tell Minseok everything, to share it with someone, _anyone_ else, but he bit his tongue before he could do it. A promise was a promise. They'd agreed, they wouldn't say anything until they knew more.

 

"Maybe," he said back, working very hard to control his expression. "It's about time they said something, anyway." His attempt at a cool exterior wasn't quite as convincing as he would have liked.

 

Across the room, Choi Hyunsuk looked like he was close to tears. He and Byounggon had trained together for years, as far as Byeongkwan knew they were closer than anyone else on the show.

 

“I just wish they would hurry up with whatever it is,” muttered Minseok, the worry and exhaustion of the past few days taking their toll rather visibly on his soft young features. He had been making his best effort as leader, but under the circumstances, Byeongkwan couldn't blame him for feeling overwhelmed. Even with his team around him, he didn't seem able to relax, and kept watching the door anxiously for whoever they were supposed to be waiting for.

 

Donghun, Hyojin, and Hangyeom were conversing quietly, all with sympathetic and concerned expressions on their faces. Jaeyoung tried a few times to carry polite conversation, but eventually went to sit beside Hyunsuk and just rubbed comforting circles into his dongsaeng's back.

 

At last, all of the remaining trainees had filed in to the cafeteria. Byeongkwan counted. Thirty four. _Only missing Byounggon and Moonhee._

 

A moment after that, the door opened, and a soft gasp swept through the room. Byeongkwan hadn't actually expected YG himself to show up, but main producer was the first to enter, followed by a train of staff and other official looking people.

 

"This _has_ to be important," muttered Byeongkwan, and Minseok nodded mutely.

 

The room fell utterly silent except for shuffling papers as the staff assembled at one end of the room. YG was smiling as if to convince the trainees that there was nothing to be afraid of, but the gnawing suspense in Byeongkwan's stomach wasn't convinced in the least.

 

The main producer was neatly dressed, making Byeongkwan feel like he should have taken more care with himself before leaving the dorm.

 

"Well," said YG after one more moment, in which you could have heard a pin drop. "I suppose you're all wondering why we called you here so unexpectedly."

 

A few people nodded, but nobody spoke.

 

"Several of our staff were called into meetings very early this morning concerning the airing of our final episode, as it seems the city has some concerns about a certain virus that has been going around the area."

 

Byeongkwan exchanged looks with both Donghun and Sehyoon. If they didn't compete in the finale, all of their practice would have been for nothing.

 

"My friend here will be able to tell you more about that in a moment," YG motioned to a man in a suit, who looked as if he would rather have been anywhere else. "But I would just like to assure you, we do not see this as a legitimate reason to cancel the show. Our final episode will be filmed live as planned at the end of the week."

 

Several people at Byeongkwan's table let out sighs of relief, but the air of unease returned when the man in the suit stepped forward, taking YG's place.

 

"After much discussion," the man said in a forced tone, "It has indeed been decided that the show will continue. But we would also like to give a word of warning to all contestants who will be continuing in the competition. This virus is more than a common cold, and we have reason to believe that multiple cases of infection have occurred in this building."

 

The trainees around the table exchanged confused glances, and Byeongkwan remembered that they hadn't heard about the other people who'd left.

 

"We request that you take necessary precautions, and we will also have medics on hand in the hotel if you need them. Please be very careful with your health, and come to us at the first sign of possible infection."

 

The man stepped back, and a lady from the staff came forward to finish the announcements.

 

"Unfortunately," she said, checking her clipboard. "Choi Moonhee is still receiving treatment and will not be able to perform on the live broadcast."

 

The girls at the next table voiced their disappointment in hushed tones.

 

"However, on his own request, Lee Byounggon will be rejoining his team this afternoon when he is discharged from the hospital."

 

The room exploded with shouts of surprise and excitement, and it took Byeongkwan a moment to process the information.

 

"Really?!"

 

"He's coming back!"

 

"I knew it!"

 

"I can't believe it, I was so worried!"

 

Donghun was grinning, the whole table was clapping. Byeongkwan found himself laughing in the midst of the excitement.

 

It was a long time before anyone got them to quiet down again, and Byeongkwan barely heard the rest of the announcements. The meeting was over in a blur, the staff left, the girls went back to their own training rooms and dorms, leaving only the boys to wander in dazed happiness out of the cafeteria.

 

~'~

 

"He's coming back?" Jinyoung still sounded astonished. The team was standing in a circle in the hotel lobby with the addition of Hyunsuk, since none of them seemed able to get any work done, and Hyunsuk refused to go anywhere else until he’d seen Byounggon. "I was ready for them to say he'd _died_ or something!"

 

"Oh don't say things like that," chided Donghun, his arm around a very smiley Minseok. "I guess it just wasn't as bad as we feared."

 

"Yeah, and a good thing too," said Byeongkwan. "I never finished those formations last night."

 

"What _were_ you doing?" asked Hyojin.

 

"I- well, sleeping," said Byeongkwan, catching Donghun's eye and leaving out the part about eavesdropping. He supposed it wouldn't matter to tell the others now, it wouldn't really be news after the morning's meeting. All their questions had been answered, right?

 

For some reason, Byeongkwan still felt a sense of unease whenever he though back to the previous night. Something about the things they'd heard didn't sit well with him, and he realized now that there were still details that bothered him that he hadn't received a good explanation for.

 

He was aroused from these thoughts, however, by a sudden round of cheers and shouts, and he looked up just in time to see Byounggon walk in through the automatic doors.

 

"Byounggon-hyung!" Hyunsuk was the first one to throw his arms around Byounggon's neck, nearly knocking them both over as the rest of the team crowded in.

 

There was laughing and talking and hugging all around. Byeongkwan pushed through for a hug too, the boy's body feeling fragile and bony even under his soft hoodie.

 

Byounggon smiled at all of the attention. A tired, weak smile, but a smile all the same.

 

Donghun was checking him over like a mother hen, and everyone else was talking. "What on earth were you thinking, coming back? You should be resting!"

 

"We thought you weren't getting out of the hospital for ages!" exclaimed Hyojin.

 

Byounggon laughed. "I wanted to practice with you guys! I felt so bad for abandoning you like that, they wanted to keep me another day but I insisted on coming back. I'm feeling a lot better now."

 

"Well, let's go up to the practice room and you can tell us all about it," said Donghun, shooing the other members out of his way. "Come on, you can ask him questions after he's settled back in."

 

~'~

 

"Really, I don't remember very much," said Byounggon for the third time, sitting cross-legged with his teammates on the practice room floor. "They sure pumped me full of something though, I must have been out of it for days."

 

"I'm just glad you're back," said Minseok with a big smile.

 

Seeing such a dramatic change in their youngest member’s mood since that morning was enough to make Byeongkwan happy too, even despite agreeing with Donghun that another day in the hospital wouldn't have hurt at all.

 

Donghun was sticking close to Byounggon, and his gaze occasionally flicked down to the younger boy's hand, where the thin line of a cut had scabbed over and the skin around it looked mottled and purply.

 

Byeongkwan was reminded rather uncomfortably of something the woman had said last night, which he hadn't been able to shake all day. _"The boy was crazy, didn't want to go with the medics. Scratched the manager pretty good trying to stay, too."_

 

Byeongkwan subconsciously buried his own hands in his pockets.

 

He glanced at Sehyoon beside him, wishing they were alone so that he could voice the crazy thoughts swimming around inside his head. He wasn't even sure what he thought, but Sehyoon always had a way of helping him sort things out. Instead he just rested his head on his friend's shoulder, tuning back in to the conversation.

 

"What have you been working on?" Byounggon was asking. "I must be so far behind."

 

"You haven't missed much actually," Sungho answered. "It's a good thing you're back, half of these kids couldn't even focus."

 

"I could _too_ ," retorted Jinyoung, wincing when the rest of the team shot him incredulous looks.

 

"How about we practice then," suggested Hangyeom. "Byounggon will need his part back."

 

They all agreed, and for the first time all week the team made good progress, in higher spirits than they had been in ages. The rappers got out their notes and distributed the lines back to what they had been before, Jinyoung happily giving up his extra part.

 

Sungho volunteered to help Byounggon catch up on what he'd missed, and the rest of the team went back to rehearsal as usual.

 

Even Byeongkwan had to admit that everything felt right again. The afternoon passed quickly, and their energy carried them into the night.

 

~'~

 

Donghun settled against the wall, pulling off his jacket and fishing his phone out of its pocket.

 

Voices still echoed around the room as practice continued, the fresh atmosphere making up for their collective lack of sleep.

 

Donghun leaned back, clicking his phone screen on and opening their A.C.E group chat, where several unread messages had piled up over the past few days. He hadn't checked it since the whole ordeal had started, too preoccupied with everything that had happened.

 

Of course, they were all from Junhee.

 

_**Jun:** [Three days ago:] Have you guys eaten? _

 

_**Jun:** [Two days ago:] How is practice going? _

 

_**Jun:** [Yesterday:] Don't stay up too late. _

 

_**Jun:** [Today:] You must be very busy, practice hard! _

 

Donghun smirked to himself, ghosting his fingers over the screen before typing a reply.

 

_**Donghun:** Last few days have been interesting. How is practice going over there?_

 

It was only a few seconds before Junhee's icon dropped down to the "read" position.

 

_Jun is typing…_

 

_**Jun:** Good! Nice to see you're alive, I was beginning to wonder. _

 

_**Donghun:** Where's Channie? _

 

_**Jun:** Come on, just admit you miss me. _

 

Donghun smiled.

 

_**Donghun:** I miss you _

 

_**Jun:** Awwww so sweet _

 

_**Donghun:** And Chan. Mostly Chan. _

 

_**Jun:** That's what I thought. I have to be up early tomorrow, so I can't stay and chat. _

 

_**Donghun:** That's alright, I was just checking in. We're still working here. _

 

_**Jun:** Well good luck! Goodnight hyung _

 

_**Donghun:** Night~ _

 

Donghun tucked the phone back into his jacket and hugged the rolled-up garment to him like a pillow.

 

A moment later, Sehyoon sat down beside him. "You can go up to the dorm if you're tired," he suggested.

 

"I'm okay, I'm still going to practice."

 

"We could all go up, we don't need a whole practice room just to rehearse vocals."

 

**[AUDIENCE DECISION:]**

**\-- > Stay in the practice room <\--**

**~~Move to the dorm~~ **

 

"No really, it's okay. We'd hardly fit all of us up there anyway."

 

"Eh, you're probably right," said Sehyoon. "You were right last night, too."

 

"I was?" Donghun scooted closer so that he could lean comfortably on Sehyoon's shoulder.

 

"I mean about Byounggon. Everything sorted itself out, didn't it?"

 

"Oh, yeah." Donghun pursed his lips, watching boy in question from across the room. "I guess it did..."

 

He'd been right all along, there was no need to meddle. Everything had seemed to sort itself out, without any interference from them.

 

 _But then why,_ he thought, _does something still feel so wrong?_


	3. Chapter 3

 

Practice carried on into the early morning hours, and the performance was looking better than it ever had before. The team's energy was still high, with the exception of Donghun and Hangyeom who'd dropped off a short while into the evening and were sleeping curled up in a corner.

 

As for the rest of the team, it was like the events of the past few days had never happened. Byounggon was laughing and joking with the rest of them, he was learning the dance quickly, working twice as hard to catch up to everyone else.

 

And Sehyoon didn't like it.

 

In fact, nothing could have made him more uneasy. He hadn't expressed this, of course, except through a few meaningful looks with Byeongkwan, who was clearly feeling the same way. There were just too many questions left unanswered, too many blanks that hadn't been filled in, or at least not to Sehyoon's satisfaction. And the longer he thought about this, the more uncomfortable it made him.

 

"Let's break for a minute," said Minseok, and Sehyoon gladly obeyed.

 

He picked up his water bottle and easily drained what was left inside, turning to get another one when a sudden burst of coughing across the room distracted him.

 

"Easy, Byounggon," Jinyoung was saying. "Maybe it's time for you to get some rest before you come down with something else."

 

Byounggon coughed again into his sleeve before replying, his deep voice scratchy and cracked. "I’m okay, I think my throat's just dry."

 

"Here, take this," said Sehyoon, crossing the room and handing Byounggon the bottle he'd just taken from the cooler.

 

He watched as the younger boy drank, but his eyes were quickly drawn to something else. The cut on Byounggon's hand looked darker than ever, red and irritated, and a web of purple veins showed through his skin as if it were entirely translucent. Sehyoon couldn't remember noticing his hand earlier, but he was sure it hadn't looked like that.

 

"Thanks," said Byounggon after downing almost the entire bottle.

 

"That was the last one," said Hyojin.

 

“What?" Sehyoon tore his gaze reluctantly away from Byounggon’s hand to look where Hyojin was pointing, at the empty cooler. "Oh, uh, I'll go get some more."

 

Hyojin nodded and turned away, and nobody noticed Sehyoon stealing glances over his shoulder as he left the room. But besides the nasty cut on his hand, he could see nothing wrong with Byounggon, the younger boy already laughing at something Jinyoung had said.

 

Sehyoon shrugged to himself and set off down the hallway. Perhaps, in his paranoia, he was reading a little too far into things. After all, nobody else seemed worried, and it would sound pretty silly if he tried to explain how he felt now. But still…

 

He flicked the lights on in the cafeteria, that morning's meeting replaying perfectly inside his head as he rummaged through the fridge for water bottles. The way the main producer had glossed so cleanly over everything, as if the days of unexplained silence weren't even worth mentioning.

 

Sehyoon sighed, leaning against the refrigerator shelf and letting the cool air waft out around him. He brushed his damp bangs out of his eyes. He couldn't be distracted _now_ , they had a final stage to prepare for! Now of all times he should be focusing on practice, not worrying like this.

 

Shaking his head, he straightened up and pulled a handful of bottles from the fridge, forbidding himself from thinking any more until he’d gotten some sleep.

 

He was just turning to leave when the sound of hurried footsteps caught his attention. Rushing to the door, he reached it just as a staff member pelted by, so distracted that they didn't even notice him.

 

The man was talking hurriedly into a cellphone, his tone unmistakably urgent.

 

Had something happened?

 

 _“Are you sure?”_ There was a note of panic in the man’s voice. _“How long? What do they want us to do?”_

 

Sehyoon stepped out into the hallway, glancing both ways as a flicker of fear ignited in his stomach, the water bottles suddenly forgotten.

 

Was this about Byounggon?

 

He'd already taken a few steps towards the practice room before he realized that didn't make sense. The staff member had been running the other direction, and from the sounds of his conversation he hadn't been coming from the practice room. But then, what _was_ going on?

 

He looked around. Nobody else was there, all he could hear was the man’s voice growing fainter as he got further away.

 

Sehyoon made up his mind quickly, turning and breaking into a sprint after the staff member.

 

By the time he caught up with him again, the man was opening a door to a stairwell that Sehyoon had never seen before, and after waiting a moment to follow him down, he found that it led to the second floor of the hotel.

 

The man was instantly swallowed up by a crowd of other people, all talking on phones and bustling about in a mad frenzy. Sehyoon pressed himself against the wall, trying to make sense of the chaos.

 

He couldn't isolate any of the frantic conversations, only catching words here and there, but whatever was happening, it definitely wasn't good.

 

A nearby door stood open where several people were running in and out, none of them even seemed to notice that Sehyoon was there.

 

He inched closer, peering inside and catching sight of a large television screen. And then his eyes widened, transfixed by the news headline flashing on the screen.

 

**Deadly Parasitic Virus Spreads, Incheon Under Quarantine**

 

He pushed inside.

 

 _"-just getting this in,"_ a reporter's voice was coming from the TV, _"A previously unidentified virus spreading through Incheon has proved to be fatal. Casualties confirmed in lower districts. Police checkpoints are being set up on all major highways, civilians are advised to quarantine themselves inside their homes until further notice."_

 

Videos displayed burning buildings, surges of people fighting in the streets, emergency vehicles blocking highways. The words **_“live footage”_ ** flashed in the corner.

 

_"-repeat, this virus is deadly. If you witness any suspicious behavior, please contact emergency services immediately. Symptoms include exhaustion, fever, shaking, manic behavior, infection of recent wounds-"_

 

Sehyoon stared at the screen, unable to move, unable to process what he was seeing. He'd been suspicious, but he'd never imagined anything like _this_ . This wasn't real, this _couldn't_ be real.

 

"Hey," said someone in the room, finally noticing Sehyoon for the first time. "You're not supposed to be down here."

 

But Sehyoon barely heard them, the words from the TV still ringing in his ears. _“-multiple casualties already confirmed, airport and highways out of Incheon closed indefinitely-”_

 

"Hey, kid-"

 

Before he could think, Sehyoon was running. Running out of that room, running back to the stairs and up to the third floor, his heart pounding harder than it ever had in his life. Nobody bothered to stop him.

 

One breathless minute later he burst into the practice room.

 

"Where's Byounggon?"

 

That wasn't what he'd meant to say, but one glance at the room told him there were only six boys where there should have been eight, and Byounggon wasn't one of them.

 

The music stopped, everyone turned to look at him.

 

“What?”

 

“Hyung, weren't you getting water?”

 

“What are you-”

 

“Hey,” interrupted Byeongkwan, “Wait a second.” He walked to Sehyoon and put a hand on his arm. It was only then that he realized he was shaking.

 

“What's wrong?” asked Byeongkwan, his voice lower now, serious.

 

“I was- downstairs,” said Sehyoon, surprised at the shakiness of his own voice.

 

“What were you doing downstairs?” asked Hyojin, walking up beside Byeongkwan. He looked concerned now too.

 

"What's going on?" asked Donghun groggily, trudging over to join the group. His eyes changed the moment he saw Sehyoon. “What's wrong?”

 

"Incheon is being quarantined," he blurted, unable to contain himself anymore.

 

The practice room was silent for a second, and then exploded with questions. "What?!" "Why?" "Where'd you hear that?"

 

"The staff room- I mean, the TV was on- it's on the news, it's everywhere- there’s- I don't know how to-"

 

"Okay, slow down," said Byeongkwan, squeezing Sehyoon's arm. His eyes flicked between the others. "Does anyone here have a phone?"

 

Most of the boys shook their heads. Phones were discouraged on MixNine. They distracted from practice, many companies didn't even allow their trainees to carry them.

 

"Oh wait, I have mine!" cried Donghun, running back to the corner and pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket.

 

He ran back, letting everyone crowd around as he opened it to his last conversation with Junhee. But before he could touch anything else, a red notification blocked the screen.

 

**ALERT: INCHEON CITY UNDER QUARANTINE**

 

The boys all stared at each other.

 

Donghun clicked an arrow below the message and another screen appeared, displaying the same images Sehyoon had seen on the TV downstairs.

 

"Deadly Parasitic Virus Spreads..." Donghun stopped, reading the rest silently.

 

"D-deadly?" Minseok's voice was small and shaky. "But I thought this morning they said-"

 

"They didn't know what they were talking about," spat Byeongkwan, "I _knew_ something was up.”

 

"But, what does this mean?" asked Hangyeom. "If the city is quarantined, does that mean the show is cancelled? What are we supposed to do?"

 

Now dreading the answer, Sehyoon repeated his original question. "Where's Byounggon?"

 

The room went silent.

 

You could almost _hear_ the collective realization, and Sehyoon's heart dropped to his stomach.

 

"He and Sungho went back to the dorms," said Hyojin slowly, as if his mind was lagging just a little bit behind the situation. "They left… just a little while ago… he said he needed some rest."

 

Donghun looked up, his wide eyes threatening to fill with tears. "You don't think-"

 

Sehyoon shook his head. He didn't want to say what he thought.

 

"We need to find them," said Byeongkwan, clearly suppressing his own panic.

 

"What are we going to-" Donghun couldn't finish.

 

"No, you stay with the team," said Sehyoon quickly. "Byeongkwan and I will find them."

 

Donghun looked almost as surprised by the authority in Sehyoon’s tone as Sehyoon himself was, but didn't object. "If you're sure."

 

Sehyoon nodded, meeting his friend’s glistening eyes and then turning to leave before his resolve could crumble. They needed to find Byounggon, before something bad happened.

 

~'~

 

The tight feeling in Sehyoon's chest reminded him of a tornado warning they'd had when he was a kid. The news alert had come on TV, he and his sister were each made to take their pillows while the adults carried mattresses, and the whole family had holed themselves up in the basement to wait out the storm. They'd huddled under a blanket tent, played with flashlights and listened to weather updates on his father's short-wave radio until the threat passed.

 

In retrospect, it was a nice memory. But Sehyoon still remembered his own fear as he imagined their little house being torn apart by a raging tornado. Wondering, despite his parents' reassurances, if they would die that night.

 

That was how he felt now, jogging through the huge hotel corridor toward the dorms, his heart pounding so hard he thought it might burst.

 

"What are we going to do when we find them?" asked Byeongkwan, keeping pace beside him.

 

Sehyoon didn't respond. He had no idea what they were going to do, what they were going to say, how you were supposed to explain this kind of situation to anyone. But somehow, he couldn't help but feel responsible.

 

If they had just told the team what they'd heard, maybe it wouldn't have been this bad. Maybe they would have been a little more cautious, asked more questions, demanded more answers. Sehyoon didn't know what they would have achieved, but anything would have been better than the guilt churning inside him right then.

 

They were about halfway to the dorms when a muffled shout broke the silence. Sehyoon and Byeongkwan looked at each other, and recognized Sungho's voice immediately.

 

They broke into a run, stumbling around a corner only to come to a screeching halt at the scene that unfolded before them.

 

Sungho was crouched on the floor, leaning over Byounggon's limp form and shaking him, but the boy gave no response.

 

Sehyoon rushed forward to kneel beside them.

 

Byounggon’s body was lifeless and unmoving, his eyes closed, and his exposed skin was alarmingly drained of color. All except for the purple labyrinth of veins crawling up his arm, standing out starkly against the sick translucency of his flesh.

 

“He just collapsed,” gasped Sungho, “He started coughing and then he just collapsed, I don't think he's breathing!”

 

Sehyoon's hand flew to Byounggon's throat, which despite being slick with sweat was already stone cold against his fingers. He gasped involuntarily, feeling for a pulse but finding none. His hand moved to the boy’s chest, but it was perfectly still, the only heartbeat he felt was his own.

 

“What do we do?” choked Sungho, “We have to get someone, a manager, we have to-”

 

“No,” said Byeongkwan, his voice very small. “It's too late, isn’t it.”

 

Sehyoon’s face must have been easy to read.

 

He couldn't say anything, his mind scrambled for anything, any solution. Maybe CPR would work, maybe if they just got his heart started… but one glance at Byounggon's pale face told him it wouldn't have done any good.

 

“Sungho,” said Byeongkwan, somehow keeping his voice calm. “The virus is… it's fatal… we can't help him. The whole city is being quarantined.”

 

The sandy-haired boy looked as if he couldn't comprehend a word Byeongkwan was saying, and his expression of hurt confusion made Sehyoon sick to his stomach. This must be some kind of bad dream, this couldn't _really_ be happening. Byounggon wasn't dead, he couldn't be, Sehyoon had seen him less than twenty minutes ago!

 

“Come on,” said Byeongkwan softly, “We should go back.”

 

Sehyoon was just about to protest, just about to say _“we can't just leave him here,”_ when a cry pierced the air and Sehyoon jumped all the way up to his feet.

 

The sound had come from Sungho, who’d propelled himself backwards into the wall and was staring in pure terror at Byounggon's body.

 

Sehyoon looked, and what he saw made his blood ran cold.

 

Byounggon's eyes were open. But they were completely and utterly blank.

 

Milky white orbs were the only things staring up at the ceiling, Byounggon's familiar warm gaze replaced by chilling emptiness.

 

Sehyoon’s chest clenched, he wanted to scream but he couldn't. He was rooted to the spot, unable to do anything but watch in horror as the boy made a sort of choking noise and shuddered to life.

 

Byounggon convulsed sharply, jerking over onto his side and curling in on himself, clawed at his chest, coughing, choking, and then stopped just as suddenly as he had begun. He just laid there, twitching gently as a dark trickle of blood dripped steadily from his mouth into the carpet.

 

Sehyoon couldn't breathe.

 

Behind him, Byeongkwan gave a sort of squeak and clamped a hand over his mouth. His eyes bugged out, and Sehyoon was sure he wore a very similar expression.

 

Before either of them could do anything, Byounggon moved again.

 

Flopping over onto his stomach, his limbs jerked in different directions, like his muscles all had minds of their own and he couldn't quite control them. It took a few moments of thrashing before he managed to get his legs beneath him and rose in lurching, unsteady motions to his feet.

 

For a while he swayed there, head hanging at an unnatural angle until it rolled back into place with a sickening wet _crack_.

 

Heavy breaths rattled in his throat and his whole body shuddered. Black hair hung into his face, but he didn't move to brush it away. He didn't even seem to notice.

 

His blank eyes raked the hallway without settling on anything. It was like he couldn't see Sehyoon or Byeongkwan at all.

 

For one long, terrible moment, nothing happened.

 

That was when Sungho made his mistake. Cowering against the wall, he gave a tiny cry of shock, and Sehyoon couldn't blame him. It was a small noise, little more than a whimper, but that was all it took to make the silent hallway explode.

 

In a motion so sudden it didn't seem possible, Byounggon lurched, throwing his entire body at Sungho whose scream echoed through the corridor and made Sehyoon stagger back.

 

Sungho thrashed, screams mixing with growls as Byounggon bore down on top of him.

 

Sehyoon wanted to do something, run for help, anything. But all he could do was stand transfixed by the horrible noises.

 

Something went _crunch_ , and the screaming stopped.

 

Sehyoon's blood ran cold.

 

Byounggon's hunched form straightened, turning slowly to face them.

 

His mouth was dripping, dark and red down the front of his shirt. Below him Sungho had stopped moving, splayed awkwardly against the wall.

 

The murky white eyes pinned them with an icy stare, and before Sehyoon could think, he and Byeongkwan doubled around at the same time and broke into a run.

 

Sehyoon nearly slipped on the carpet, his knees threatening to buckle, and Byeongkwan grabbed his wrist.

 

Judging by the crashing behind them, they were being pursued.

 

Sehyoon wasn't even paying attention to where they were going, his heart pounding in his ears as his feet pounded the floor, and horrible images of Byounggon's blood-drenched face seared into his vision.

 

White pillars flew past them, the massive hotel offering nowhere to hide.

 

He didn't even realize they'd reached the practice room before Donghun ran out in front of them, colliding full force with Sehyoon and knocking them both to the floor.

 

Sehyoon's arm was yanked from Byeongkwan's grip, and the snarling noises grew nearer. He heard a chorus of gasps, and guessed that the rest of the team was there too.

 

Donghun pushed himself up off of Sehyoon, catching sight of Byounggon and letting out a cry just a second before Sehyoon could clamp a hand over his mouth.

 

Byeongkwan flattened himself against the opposite wall, the growling Byounggon skidding between them and scrambling around on all fours like he could barely control his own limbs.

 

Sehyoon got up and pulled Donghun to his feet, shoving him through the crowd of boys outside the practice room door.

 

"Run!" Byeongkwan was yelling, "Go, run!"

 

Sehyoon glanced over just in time to see the rest of the team scatter as Byounggon lunged, snagging Jinyoung's pant leg and dragging the boy down with a panicked scream.

 

Sehyoon's heart lurched, but he couldn't go back. His only chance was to get somewhere safe before Donghun or Byeongkwan were next.

 

He looked frantically for someplace to hide, running further down the hall and trying all of the doors. He rattled doorknobs, all locked.

 

"Over here!" cried Byeongkwan from beside an open door, and Sehyoon whipped around, dragging Donghun in Byeongkwan's direction.

 

They burst into the room and shut the door behind them, casting the room into absolute darkness as the chaos outside grew muted. Sehyoon fumbled for the lock, finally clicking it into place and dropping to the floor.

 

Sehyoon and Byeongkwan panted, their breaths sounding loud against the sudden quiet. Adrenaline still pumped through Sehyoon's system, pounding in his brain and temporarily blocking out all other thoughts.

 

There was about a minute of silence in which they could only hear their own breaths and heartbeats.

 

Then something slammed up against the door, making Donghun jump. There were sounds of a scuffle, and a dragging noise, before something else slammed into it and someone started pounding. Hard, urgent knocking on the thick wood.

 

Sehyoon looked to Byeongkwan, even though he couldn't see three inches in front of his face in the dark.

 

**AUDIENCE DECISION:**

**\-- > Open the door <\--**

~~**Keep it closed** ~~

 

The pounding came again, louder, harder.

 

 ****Sehyoon felt more than saw Byeongkwan meet his eyes, and at the same time they reached for the knob, clumsily unlatching it and shoving the door open just far enough for a person to squeeze through.

 

The second it was open, a small body dove inside and landed squarely on top of Sehyoon, almost knocking him over.

 

The light from the hallway only afforded a moment's visibility before Byeongkwan slammed the door shut again, but that was all Sehyoon needed to identify the boy on top of him.

 

"Minseok-ah!"


End file.
